Upper Deck Drops the Puck on ‘Hockey Card Heaven’ Promotion for Canadian Shop Owners! Based on strength of this year’s NHL rookie class, Upper Deck launches program that will yield in-store athlete appearances for two lucky winners

Carlsbad, CA, Wednesday November 11, 2009
The Upper Deck Company is pleased to announce its latest promotional sports program – “Hockey Card Heaven” – which is designed to inspire shop owners in Canada to host more in-store events to engage kids in the art of card collecting and to create excitement surrounding this year’s top-notch rookie class. The shops that run the most creative promotions that translate to increased sales, those that merchandise new hockey cards the best ways possible and the ones that orchestrate the most lucrative in-store events will all be in the running for great prizes. A judging panel comprised of employees from Upper Deck, Universal Distribution and Grosnor Distribution will select the overall winners.

The two Canadian hobby shops that eventually earn the moniker of Upper Deck’s Hockey Card Heaven will be the grand-prize winners and both will earn an in-store visit and singing session from an NHL player. The first athlete who will make an in-store appearance for some creative shop owner will be Toronto rookie goaltender Jonas Gustavsson, a.k.a. “The Monster.” The second player will be revealed later this month. The contest begins on Sunday, November 15, and runs through midnight on Sunday, February 28. Winners of Upper Deck’s “Hockey Card Heaven” contest will be announced on March 8, 2010.

“Together we believe that Canadian hobby shops focused on these elements will have an amazing year financially based on the strength of this year’s rookie class and the quality products Upper Deck will be releasing around them,” said Chris Carlin, Upper Deck’s sports marketing manager. “

Ten first-prize runners-up will each be awarded an Upper Deck-sponsored “Tailgate Party” where they will receive a variety of prizes including Upper Deck product, autographed items from NHL stars, apparel, food and more. Participation in the contest is easy. Canadian shop owners simply need to go online at http://b2b.upperdeck.com/udc/HockeyCardHeaven/Submissions.aspx and enter their information in the “Register Now” portion of the home page. An Upper Deck staff member will follow up directly with each shop owner to secure relevant information about their respective establishments. Shop owners can provide text, photos and video submissions that demonstrate why they should be considered Upper Deck’s Hockey Card Heaven.

The more creative shop owners are, the better their chances are of being named Upper Deck’s Hockey Card Heaven! Good luck.

About Upper Deck
Upper Deck is the leading sports and entertainment trading card and collectibles company. For more information on Upper Deck and its products please visit www.upperdeck.com.